speech sound

noun

, Phonetics.

1. any of the set of distinctive sounds of a given language. Compare phoneme.
2. any audible, elemental, acoustic event occurring in speech: Compare phone ².

   “Go” contains the speech sound “o.”

3. any of the sounds of the entire phonetic system of a language.

Word History and Origins

Origin of speech sound¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

The results have implications for efforts to help children with hearing loss surmount initial language delays caused by a lack of auditory input and access to speech sounds before they receive cochlear implants.

From Science Daily

They might say “one, two, three” or “one, one, one” where the number of speech sounds corresponds to the number of apples they see.

From Science Magazine

With their technology, the investigators showed that it's possible to reliably determine the speech sounds that individuals will say before they articulate them.

From Science Daily

Finally, children were asked to match words based on whether they began or ended with the same speech sound, a task essential not only to speech development but also to reading acquisition.

From Science Daily

Analysis of the change in responses to speech sounds before and after the loss of the hub revealed a rapid disruption of signaling and subsequent partial compensation of the broader brain network.

From Science Daily